Your customer service experience. The good, the bad, the funny, the outrage & bizarre.

[The Eupho Guy_v1legacy]

I think the one thing that really gets to me about the cooking side of my job is when people take our menu board as a more of a suggestion than anything else. Don't get me wrong, if someone has an allergy or doesn't like a particular element of an item, I'm happy to modify orders to work around them. I'm talking about the people that make stuff up as they go along and expect us to know what they're talking about.

Prime example: A person rings up and orders a "Schnitzel burger with the lot". Ok, that's fine, some people call our deluxe schnitzel burgers that. So we make it and leave it in the warmer for them to collect. They arrive, pay for it and leave. 15 minutes later, we get another phone call. It's the same person ringing up to complain. As it happens, what he wanted was a hamburger with the lot, but with a schnitzel instead of a meat pattie. He didn't bother to mention that to us, he thought we would just know what he was talking about (and that we wouldn't charge him for the extras). We assured him that we only charge him for what we thought he was ordering and apologised for the mix up and he was fine with that, thankfully.

Second example: People that come in irregularly, order something twice over the span of a week and then come in the next time and ask for "The usual". That one gets met with an as polite as I can manage "And that would be...?"

On the grocery side of things, all I have to say is this: No I do not know the price of off the top of my head. At last count we stock over 2500 grocery lines, do you seriously expect me to memorise the price of every single one? Also, there are price tags next to each line for a reason...

 

[Parasondox]

The best customers I have dealt with were the elderly couples. Or just any in pairs. Friendly, honest, just want to know they are buying the right thing and no one is trying to mug them off. Maybe it's because I have worked with the elderly before and I know how to to interact with them, but I see some colleagues and staff in other stores just treat them like crap and I hate them. Going to a store may be their only time to interact with someone, so why not just give them a decent few moments of your time. I know most of us are glued to our phones and don't wish to interact with humans face to face, damn millennials (you're 25, Para), but speaking to someone else who isn't shackled by tech for a few minutes, can brighten up their day a little.

Weird, I've had the exact opposite experience. In my experience, the elderly have been rude, belligerent, ignorant, entitled, and sometimes a little racist or homophobic. They always act like everyone owes them something. The younger customers, by comparison, tend to be energetic, nice, and polite. It doesn't help that the older customers are impolite, and always trying to get away with things. Maybe it's just something about that generation where I live. Obviously everyone is different, but as a rule, if a customers being an asshole, they're almost always old.

Hey I was surprised too. I thought it was the opposite here but, nope, it were the elderly being kind, middle age always in a rush and the young just want straightforward service but have a bit of an attitude most times.

"There is only 1 'L' in Daniela". Well SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRYYYYYY. Daniela can be spelt in many ways.

Most bizarre happened a few hours ago. Ever had a ghost fart? Like a fart just comes out of nowhere and you are unprepared. Maybe it's called a stealth fart. Either way, I was with a customer, lucky it was just him and myself, in the middle of explaining something, I sneezed but for some reason a loud fart came out. I just looked at the customer and we just both laughed. Brightened my day. In the past I would be embarrassed but I werent. Plus, no smell. SOMEONE EXPLAIN THAT!!

Plus I keep getting nice comments about my accent and it always makes me smile. I hate my voice but so many others like it.

See retail can be fun... if distribution doesn't miss you with delivery. I am a one man operation at the moment who has to do 6 cages and they are summer items. Damn lawn mowers!!

 

[Callate]

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I just have to chip in regarding the teacher thing.

Yes, some parents think their children can do no wrong. And yes, being a teacher is a much harder job than most people recognize, one that frequently makes demands of a teacher's time and money that aren't clearly spelled out in a contract, and that many parents don't appreciate. And no, it isn't a teacher's job to teach a child basic manners.

A good teacher is worth their weight in gold.

That said, right now I'm dealing with a teacher who seems to think that the average test grade in her class being under fifty percent and not allowing a student to make up a test in a class that was missed because of a mandatory field trip in a different class isn't her problem.

Like every other profession, some teachers are absolute shit at their jobs. And those people aren't taking too long to ring a purchase or refusing to accept a return with receipt: they're fucking up kids' educations.

Being a teacher doesn't automatically mean you're without fault.

 

[laggyteabag]

I work at a laser tag site, which means that I deal a lot with kids, their stupid parents, wreckless teenagers, and the occasional crazy person.

I got a call a couple of weeks ago from a woman who wanted to book in a party for 14 or so children, then a couple of days later, she called up again saying that she wanted to invite another 4, I told her that she couldn't because we were full, and then she admitted to me that she had already invited them, and she didn't want to uninvite them, have the extra 4 miss a game, or move her booking. She wanted that spot, and damn the fact that it was impossible.

We have this 14 year old guy come in, too, with one of his many girlfriends. We once overheard him saying "Im the sexiest man alive, but I don't like to spread it around, because people get jealous.". That kid and his stupid fucking eyebrows.

There is this one guy that comes in every now and again, and he plays lasertag thinking he is a proper pro (he isn't), but then runs around the arena shouting nothing but "HULK SMASH!" and various Robocop quotes. He is like, 20.

Had a kid come in, who was like, 10. His parents paid for him, practically dragged him into the arena to play, and then cried the entire time. Why? Because he thought that we might have a real-life alien in there.

I also find it horribly funny when I am marshalling a game, there are kids sprinting around the arena (even though they are not supposed to), then one of them trips, and skids across the floor, bawling their eyes out. Stupid children.

I was also on shift when this guy stumbles into the building late at night. Now, Im not sure if he was on something, or just had something wrong with him, but this is the conversation we had -
Me - "Hey, dude. How is it going?"
Him - "Y-yeah, Im fine. Can I use your bathroom?"
M - "Yeah, sure thing. It is just over there"
H - "Okay, thanks." He then starts to walk over, pauses for a second, looks back at me and says "Oh, by the way, I self harm."
M - *cough* "Woah, wait, what?"
H - "Yeah, I self harm a lot"
M - "Uh, okay? But you're not going to do anything in there, right?"
H - "No, no, of course not. Im just gonna be about 10 minutes"
M - "Ten minutes? Are you sure? What are you going to be doing for like, 10 minutes?"
H - "Oh, how long does it take to use the bathroom?"
M - Taken aback a little "Uh, I dunno, like, 2 minutes?"
H - "Okay, I'll be about 2 minutes"
M - "Suuuuuuure"

I then go and get my supervisor, who then calls the police, and as it turns out: heroin.

 

[Weresquirrel]

I work in a pet shop, so luckily I don't often have to deal with angry or obnoxious customers. Worst case scenario we typically get is a rude customer who just blanks you or doesn't say thank you or give general social niceties. I'd like to think it's because most of our customer base is formed of pet owners, so they're usually fairly patient and/or caring. I did have one rather curious encounter a couple of weeks back though.

This happened first thing on a Saturday morning. An elderly customer comes in the front door and walks straight up to the counter.

Lady: Can I have some sticky tape?
*I notice she's holding an envelope and is probably on her way to the post office. It's just sticky tape so I peel a bit off and stick the flap on the envelope down.*
Lady: Can I have a bit more on this side?
*Alright, fine...*
Lady: And on the other side too?
*Stick*
Lady: Can I have a pen?
*Starting to get a wee bit confused at this stage, but maybe she wants to note some prices down or a product name. She then spends a few minutes painstakingly writing an address on the envelope.*
Lady: Can I have a stamp?
Me: Uh... No... We don't have stamps...
Lady: Oh. Okay. *Walks out of the store*

Again, I remind you... Pet shop. Either she got confused and thought we were the post office, despite the rows of dog food, or it was a weird scam to get a free stamp.